Safety in Colombia and Central America?

On of our Twitter followers has asked for advice on safety for two girls travelling in South and Central America… Here’s her plea:

“is it safe for two girls to go to Colombia/Central America what are the dangers?”

Our experts said:

“Colombia is full of travellers these days – the Caribbean Coast is especially easy to get around and lots to do. Travellers should always be more alert at border crossings and in Central America, I’d say parts of El Salvador, Honduras and remote areas in Panama would definitely be more challenging than Costa Rica, Belize or Guatemala which are more established tourist destinations. Nicaragua would be a good bet if you’re feeling more adventurous.

Pickpocketing and scams occasionally happen, and counterfeit notes do exist, so stay alert. On the whole though, Colombia is way safer and more accessible than it has been in years. As with everywhere, avoid accepting drinks, snacks and cigarettes from anyone you don’t know or don’t trust…

I went to Colombia 2 years ago and found it safe, petty crime can happen (I got pickpocketed) but i never felt in real danger, Just don’t do anything stupid and you’ll be absolutely fine. Really no need to stress whatsoever.

…The border towns are not great so pay more if you can and go with the more organised and better bus companies, It just saves on the stress. At worse you’ll end up getting conned into paying 10′s of dollars